Operation Rosario

Operation Rosario was an Argentine amphibious invasion of the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982 which sparked the Falklands War with Britain. The Argentines succeeded in occupying the islands after forcing the undermanned garrison to surrender.

Background
The Argentine military junta of Leopoldo Galtieri, Basilio Lami Dozo, and Jorge Anaya faced economic hardships during the early 1980s, leading to the junta becoming unpopular. Galtieri decided to unite Argentines behind a potential national victory by reconquering the disputed Falkland Islands from the United Kingdom; Admiral Anaya, the architect of the plan, believed that it would not be difficult to conquer the small British military force protecting the islands.

Battle
On 2 April 1982, 600 Argentine amphibious commando troops under Lt. Commander Guillermo Sanchez-Sabarots landed near Cape Pembroke, starting the invasion. They faced just 100 British troops of the Falklands, with 47 of them being mere volunteers. The Argentines defeated the British at the Moody Brook Barracks before taking the Government House in Port Stanley, effectively meaning the defeat of the British in the Falklands. The Argentines suffered just one casualty in the first invasion of British territory since World War II. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher responded by creating a War Cabinet and sending a task force to regain the islands, sending them out on 4 April; some task force ships left as late as 12 May.